To address your original question about the COLA: The 2025 COLA would be announced in October 2024 and take effect with December 2024 benefits (paid in January 2025). Since your benefits begin with January 2025 (paid in February), your initial benefit amount will already include the 2025 COLA adjustment. For future reference, COLAs work like this: - Announced in October of each year (based on the CPI-W from Q3) - Applied to December benefits (which are paid in January) - All beneficiaries receiving payments for January or later in that year get the increased amount Since you're starting in January 2025 (with payment in February), you'll receive the full 2025 COLA from the beginning.

Thank you all so much for the helpful responses! To summarize what I've learned: 1. My January 2025 benefit (paid in February) will automatically include the 2025 COLA 2. The delay to February is just the normal payment cycle (January entitlement paid in February) 3. I should double-check my MySocialSecurity account when the award letter arrives to confirm everything This community has been incredibly helpful - I was really worried about losing out on the COLA increase for my budget planning. I appreciate everyone taking the time to explain how this works!

One additional point: if you do need confirmation of your application status for financial planning purposes, you can request a "Benefit Verification Letter" once your application is processed. This official document confirms your benefit amount and start date, and many financial institutions accept it as proof of income for loans, housing applications, etc. You may be able to get this even before your first payment is issued. If your application isn't showing progress within 30 days of your intended start date (so by early February), that would be a good time to make a more concerted effort to speak with an SSA representative.

btw i think FRA is 67 not 65 now so r u taking early benefits at 65? that might be why its taking longer cuz they have to calculate the reduction

To clarify for everyone: According to SSA's official payment schedule, the 4th Wednesday group will receive their December 2025 payment on Wednesday, December 24th. If you're concerned about banking delays (which are common during the holiday season), I recommend: 1) Check with your specific bank about their holiday processing times, 2) Set up account alerts to know exactly when the deposit posts, and 3) Try to keep a small financial buffer if possible to account for potential delays.

Thank you so much for this clear information! I'll call my bank next week to ask about their holiday processing schedule. This helps a lot with my holiday budgeting plans.

One other timing factor to consider is that the COLA (cost of living adjustment) for next year will be announced in October and takes effect with January payments. If you start benefits later in the year, you'll still get the full COLA percentage increase in January 2026. So if the COLA is, let's say, 2.5% for 2026, and you started benefits in November 2025, you'd still get that full percentage increase in January 2026 even though you've only been receiving benefits for 2 months. It's not a huge factor, but something to consider as part of your overall timing strategy.

my sister started her benifits in december and regretted it bcuz of tax stuff the next year. something about not having withholding set up properly. make sure u fill out that voluntary withholding form thing!!!

Legitimate Medicare Savings Program applications will typically ask for: - Name and Medicare number - Income information (to determine eligibility) - Resource/asset information - Household composition Red flags would be requests for: - Full SSN (they might ask for the last 4 digits) - Bank account numbers - Credit card information - Password information - Money/payments of any kind Real MSP applications are for getting HELP with costs, not charging you anything. They're administered by state Medicaid offices in partnership with SSA, but the materials can sometimes look different from standard SSA letters.

Based on your additional details in the comments, especially that it asks for full SSN and banking information and directs to a non-.gov website, this sounds like a scam. Legitimate MSP communications wouldn't request this information by mail. I recommend: 1. Don't respond or provide any information 2. Report it to the SSA's Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 3. You can also report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov It's very common for scammers to target seniors with Medicare-related scams, and they're getting increasingly sophisticated.

my SSDI check is less than my friend gets and we worked same job for 25 yrs how do they decide how much u get?? not fair system

To summarize what everyone's saying (since there's been some confusion in this thread): 1. Your SSDI benefit will convert to retirement benefits when you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA) - which is NOT 65, but later depending on your birth year 2. The dollar amount remains EXACTLY the same when this conversion happens 3. The conversion is automatic - no paperwork needed 4. You'll continue to receive COLA increases 5. If you're already on Medicare through SSDI, nothing changes with your Medicare Hope this helps provide clarity!

Regarding your online application question - yes, the online system allows you to upload digital copies of required documents (birth certificate, etc.). However, some people find it easier to take originals to a local SSA office where they can make certified copies for you. The advantages of applying earlier in your 4-month window: 1) If there are any issues with your application, you have more time to resolve them, and 2) It gives SSA more processing time so your first payment is more likely to arrive on schedule. Just remember that regardless of when you apply within that window, your benefits will still start in August as you requested.

Medicare enrollment is separate from Social Security and doesn't begin until age 65, regardless of when you start your Social Security benefits. When you turn 65, you'll have a 7-month Initial Enrollment Period (starting 3 months before your birth month) to sign up for Medicare Parts A and B. If you're still covered by employer health insurance when you turn 65 (either your own or a spouse's), you might be able to delay Medicare enrollment without penalties.

I work with retirees on their financial planning, and based on what you've shared, here's what you should know: 1. Your SSDI benefit ($1,650) is already higher than what you'd get as a spouse (50% of his $3,200 = $1,600), so you won't get additional spousal benefits. 2. If your husband passes away, you would be eligible for his full benefit amount as a survivor. This is why many couples in your situation consider having the higher earner delay benefits - each year he delays past FRA increases his benefit by 8%, which directly increases your potential survivor benefit. 3. Given the 5-year age difference and his health concerns, you might want to consider a strategy where he claims at his FRA or slightly later to balance current income needs with protecting your future survivor benefits. 4. When you reach your FRA, your SSDI will convert to retirement benefits, but the amount stays the same. One thing to note: if he decides to work while collecting benefits before his FRA, he'll be subject to the earnings test which could reduce his benefits temporarily if he earns above certain thresholds.

Has anyone else noticed how the rules for Social Security are DELIBERATELY complicated?? I swear they make it confusing on purpose so people don't claim everything they're entitled to. My neighbor worked for SSA for 30 years and even she says most of their own employees don't understand all the rules. The whole system needs to be simplified!

did you work for goverment or railroad at any point? my cousin had something like this and it was because of that windfall thing where they reduce your SS if you get a pension

Just following up - were you able to get this resolved? If you're still struggling to reach someone, you might want to try calling right when they open at 8:00 AM your local time. The wait times are usually much shorter early in the morning.

wait do we need to print it? cant we just save the pdf? my printer is always out of ink lol

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I printed out my full statement (all 5 pages) and found one year where my earnings seemed lower than I remembered. Going to dig up my W-2 from that year to compare. So glad I asked this question before applying!